OPENING THE RECORD
OPENING THE RECORD
S. 4641 · 119TH CONGRESS
This has not become law. Both chambers must pass the same text before sending it to the president. How a bill becomes law.
CONGRESSIONAL RESEARCH SERVICE
Improving Access to Medicare Coverage Act of 2026
This bill deems an individual receiving outpatient observation services in a hospital as an inpatient for purposes of satisfying the three-day inpatient hospital-stay requirement with respect to Medicare coverage of skilled nursing facility (SNF) services. (Generally, individuals must have been an inpatient at a hospital for at least three days in order to qualify for SNF services. An individual's time spent under observation at a hospital for purposes of determining whether the individual should be admitted does not count towards this requirement.)
Written by the Congressional Research Service for this version of the bill. Later versions may differ. Read at Congress.gov.